Vending Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A vending machine for vending articles comprises a rotatable dispensing drum with a wall comprising at least one recess sized to receive an article, and a mechanism for rotating the dispensing drum about a rotational cycle. A plurality of magazines are provided for containing the articles in a stack, each magazine being in communication with the dispensing drum such that a proximate article in the magazine contacts the dispensing drum. The wall of the dispensing drum blocking the delivery of an article until an empty recess comes into alignment with the article during rotation of the dispensing drum. The article in the recess is dispensed from the recess as the dispensing drum is rotated further along its rotational cycle.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to vending machines. In particular, this invention relates to machines for vending articles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many different types of products are vended by vending machines. Vendible products are of a variety of different shapes and sizes. One popular example of such vending machines is a so called “bulk vender,” colloquially known as a “gumball machine,” which is typically designed to vend spherical articles such as gumballs but is also capable of vending articles having a generally spherical or ovular shape such as certain types of nuts, which are capable of being vended out of a bulk merchandise bin because the orientation of the product in the merchandise bin does not affect the dispensing mechanism. Such vending machines are typically actuated by a coin mechanism, which has a manually rotatable handle that is released when a coin or coins of the correct domination are inserted into a coin slot, as is well known.

Other types of products, however, are not readily vended from a bulk merchandise bin because of their shape. For example tubular products such as cigars and tampons are more difficult to vend, because the vending mechanism, in order to operate effectively, must be virtually guaranteed to receive at least one article for vending with each rotational cycle of the coin mechanism. Vending machines of this type are designed to be placed in unsupervised areas, and accordingly it is essential in order to promote repeated consumer use and reduce costs to the vending machine operator that the vending machine consistently vend product when the correct coinage is inserted into the coin mechanism, and that the vending machine be very resistant to jamming due to misaligned or clustered product. This presents a particular problem in the vending of oblong products, such as cigars and tampons.

One manner of maintaining an article in a select orientation for dispensing is by disposing a magazine in a vender. The magazine holds a plurality of articles in a stack, in a particular orientation, and can thus deliver an article to a dispensing mechanism in a desired orientation. However, it is advantageous to a vending machine operator, who may be responsible for hundred of vending machines, to have to service each vending machine as infrequently as possible, and it is therefore advantageous to include as much merchandise as possible in the vending machine. However, disposing articles in a stack formation in a magazine limits the number of articles that can be dispensed by the vending machine, because there is a practical limitation on the height (or length) of such a vending machine which in turn limits the number of articles that can be contained in the stack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vending machine embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial front elevational view of the magazines and dispensing drum in the vending machine of FIG. 1, with all magazines containing articles;

FIG. 3 is a partial front elevational view of the magazines and dispensing drum with articles depleted from the upstream magazine;

FIG. 4 is a partial front elevational view of the magazines and dispensing drum with articles depleted from two of the three magazines;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the dispensing drum and drum carrier showing a locking mechanism for arresting rotation of the dispensing drum in the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a partial cross sectional side elevation of the vending machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a partial side elevation of the dispensing region showing a dog for locking a door to the dispensing chute in a rest position;

FIG. 8 is a partial side elevation of the dispensing portion of FIG. 7 showing the dog in an engaged position; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the locking dog.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a vending machine for vending articles, comprising a rotatable dispensing drum comprising a wall comprising at least one recess sized to receive a single article, a mechanism for rotating the dispensing drum about a rotational cycle, a plurality of magazines, each magazine for containing articles in a stack, each magazine being in communication with the dispensing drum and disposed such that a proximate article in the magazine contacts the dispensing drum, the wall of the dispensing drum blocking the delivery of the proximate article from the magazine until an empty recess comes into alignment with the proximate article during rotation of the dispensing drum and the proximate article is forced into the recess, the proximate article in the recess blocking the delivery of any other proximate article into the recess, and a dispensing portion into which the proximate article in the recess is dispensed from the recess as the dispensing drum is rotated further along its rotational cycle.

The invention further provides a vending machine for vending articles, comprising a rotatable dispensing drum comprising a wall comprising at least one recess sized to receive at least one article, a mechanism for rotating the dispensing drum about a rotational cycle, a plurality of magazines, each magazine for containing articles in a stack, each magazine being in communication with the dispensing drum and disposed such that at least one proximate article in the magazine contacts the dispensing drum, the wall of the dispensing drum blocking the delivery of the at least one proximate article from the magazine until an empty recess comes into alignment with the at least one proximate article during rotation of the dispensing drum and the at least one proximate article is forced into the recess, the at least one proximate article in the recess blocking the delivery of any other proximate article into the recess, and a dispensing portion into which the at least one proximate article in the recess is dispensed from the recess as the dispensing drum is rotated further along its rotational cycle.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a vending machine 10 according to the invention comprises a housing 12, for example formed from sheet metal, having an article storage portion 14 which may conventionally be provided with a transparent glass or plastic window through which articles 2 can be viewed, and a secure dispensing portion 16 contained within the housing which in the embodiment shown comprises a dispensing chute 18 allowing communication between the interior and the exterior of the housing 12.

A dispensing drum 30 is contained within the dispensing portion 16, for example rotationally mounted in a drum holder 40, illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. The dispensing drum 30 comprises at least one recess 32 sized to receive a single article contained within the article storage portion 14 of the housing 12. The dispensing drum 30 further comprises an axle 34 rotationally fixed to the wall 38 of the dispensing drum 30, for example extending through and fixed to hub 35, and providing a structure for keyed attachment, in the example shown a squared portion 36 of the axle 34, to a mechanism for rotating the dispensing drum 30 about a rotational cycle. The dispensing drum 30 is preferably formed from metal, for example cast in zinc or aluminum, but may be formed from plastic or any other suitable material.

In the vending machine shown the mechanism for rotating the dispensing drum 30 about the rotational cycle comprises a coin mechanism 15. One suitable coin mechanism, referenced by way of example only because any suitable coin mechanism may be used without affecting the operation of the invention, can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,545 issued Jan. 24, 1995, which is incorporated herein by reference. In other embodiments the mechanism for rotating the dispensing drum 30 need not be a coin mechanism, but can include any suitable mechanism such as a simple crank, a loader, rack and pinion arrangement or any other mechanism capable of rotating the dispensing drum 30, and the invention is not intended to be so limited.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 4, in order to maximize the number of articles that can be contained within the storage portion 14 of the vending machine 10, the invention provides a plurality of magazines 50 a, 50 b, 50 c. Each magazine 50 is formed from a sheet material, for example metal or plastic, and dimensioned to contain the article desired to be dispensed in a stack. In the preferred embodiment three magazines 50 a, 50 b and 50 c are provided in side-by-side relation. It is advantageous to arrange the magazines 50 a, 50 b, 50 c in this fashion because a single magazine sidewall 52 can serve as a sidewall for adjacent magazines 50. However, it is possible to instead space the magazines 50 apart if desired.

An open end of each magazine 50 (the bottom end in the embodiment illustrated) is in communication with the dispensing drum 30 and disposed such that a proximate article to 2′ at the proximate end of the magazine 50 is blocked by the circumferential wall 38 of the dispensing drum 30 from being delivered out of the magazine 50. The magazines 50 are thus preferably disposed such that the ends of the magazines 50 that deliver articles 2 (the lower ends in the illustrations) are adjacent to one another and immediately adjacent to the dispensing drum 30, but spaced from the dispensing drum 30 sufficiently to allow the dispensing drum 30 to rotate in the drum holder 40. The magazines 50 may for example be fixed to the housing 12 or to a floor (not shown) of the storage portion 14.

In the embodiment shown the dispensing drum 30 comprises a single dispensing recess 32. In the rest position, shown in FIG. 2, the dispensing drum 30 is preferably oriented such that the recess 32 is in communication with the dispensing end of the most upstream magazine 50 a. The dispensing drum 30 is supported in a drum holder 40 preferably comprising a bottom portion 40 a and a top portion 40 b which are affixed together, for example via brackets 41, to rotatably support the dispensing drum 30 with the bushings 34 a trapped in the bearing members 42 so that the dispensing drum 30 rotates within the drum holder 40.

The axle 34 of the dispensing drum 30 preferably comprises a bearing 34 a at each end. The bearing 34 a may for example be a Teflon (trademark) annular ring or other low friction structure which allows the dispensing wheel 30 to rotate readily in bearing members 42 disposed at opposite ends of the drum holder 40, which may be formed from metal or plastic. The drum holder 40 further comprises a slot 44 (best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5) allowing passage of an article 2 into the dispensing chute 18 at the point in the rotational cycle when the dispensing recess 32 is in alignment with the slot 44.

The embodiment of the apparatus 10 illustrated provides an optional lockout mechanism, preventing the coin mechanism 15 from turning through a rotational cycle when there are no more articles 2 in the magazines 50. In the preferred embodiment a weight 60 having at least a lower end configured to nest in the recess 32 is disposed on top of the stack of articles 2 in the most downstream magazine 50 c. The weight 60 may for example be cast in zinc or aluminum, and has a magnet 62 embedded in or otherwise affixed to one end 60 a of the weight 60. A notch 43 in the upper edge of the top portion 40 a, best seen in FIG. 5, supports a locking dog 70.

The locking dog 70, which may be cast or stamped out of metal thick enough to remain rigid under normal operating conditions, comprises a support 72 formed as an inverted U-shaped channel, which hooks over the floor of the notch 43 so that the dog 70 can pivot in at least one direction, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and latch onto the dispensing drum 30. A first arm 74 extends upwardly toward the most downstream magazine 50 c, and comprises an extension 76 which projects toward the magazine 50 c and supports a magnet 78. When the weight 60 is oriented in the magazine 50 c so that the magnet 62 faces the dog 70, like poles of the magnet 78 and the magnet 62 face each other and the magnets 78 and 62 thus repel when close to one another. A second arm 80 extends downwardly toward the dispensing drum 30, and comprises a projection 82 which extends toward the hub 35 of the dispensing drum 30. The hub 35 of the dispensing drum 30 is provided with an aperture 37 (best seen in FIGS. 2 to 5) capable of receiving the projection 82, to lock the coin mechanism 15 in the manner described below.

In operation, the magazines 50 are loaded with articles 2, for example tubular articles 2 such as cigars or tampons. The three magazines 50 a, 50 b, 50 c may be fully loaded, i.e. stacked with articles 2 up to the tops of the magazines 50, and the weight 60 is placed on top of the stack of articles in the most downstream magazine 50 c with the magnet 62 facing the locking dog 70. The coin mechanism 15 in the embodiment shown, keyed to the squared end 36 of the shaft 34, starts in the rest position with the recess 32 is in communication with the dispensing end of the most upstream magazine 50 a. The proximate article 2′ (i.e. proximate to the dispensing drum 30 and thus the next article to be dispensed from the magazine 50) in the most upstream magazine 50 a falls into the recess 32 under the influence of gravity when the magazines 50 are loaded.

To purchase an article 2, a user inserts the correct coinage into the coin mechanism 15 and rotates the handle. As the dispensing drum 30 is rotated (clockwise in the embodiment illustrated), the recess 32 containing the article 2 from the most upstream magazine 50 a (relative to the direction of rotation of the dispensing wheel 30) travels along the rotational cycle toward the dispensing point aligned with slot 44 in the drum holder 40. With articles 2 in all three magazines 50 a, 50 b and 50 c, the article 2 contained in the dispensing recess 32 effectively blocks the proximate articles 2′ in the other two magazines 50 b, 50 c from being delivered into the recess 32, so no article 2 can be delivered from magazines 50 b, 50 c. As a rotational cycle of the dispensing drum 30 continues the recess 32 reaches the dispensing slot 44 in the drum holder 40, at which point the article 2 contained in the recess 32 falls out into the dispensing portion 16 of the vending machine 10 and can be retrieved by the purchaser through the accessible end of dispensing chute 18.

The dispensing drum 30 must then be returned to the rest position shown in FIG. 2. Typically a user will rotate the coin mechanism 15 until it can no longer be rotated due to the absence of the correct coinage, which will return the coin mechanism 15 to the rest position; however, if the current user does not do so, the next user will rotate the coin mechanism 15 to the rest position so that the coin slot becomes accessible and coins can be inserted. At the rest position, the next article 2 at the bottom of the stack (now the proximate article 2′) in the most upstream magazine 50 a falls into the dispensing recess 32 to be vended to the next user.

Once the articles 2 in the most upstream magazine 50 a have been depleted, as shown in FIG. 3, a proximate article 2′ will be delivered into the dispensing recess 32 in the dispensing drum 30 when the dispensing recess 32 has reached the next downstream magazine 50 b. With each rotational cycle of the coin mechanism 15, the proximate article 2′ from the magazine 50 b falls into and fills the recess 32, preventing the delivery of the proximate article 2′ from the most downstream magazine 50 c into the dispensing recess 32 until all of the articles 2 in the magazine 50 b have been depleted. Once all of the articles 2 in the magazine 50 b have been depleted, during further rotational cycles of the dispensing drum 30 the dispensing recess 32 will be filled when it reaches the most downstream magazine 50 c and the proximate article 2′ in the magazine 50 c is delivered into the recess 32 for dispensing, as shown in FIG. 4.

Once the last article 2 in the most downstream magazine 50 c has been dispensed, the optional lockout mechanism will prevent the coin mechanism 15 from turning through a further rotational cycle. FIG. 7 shows the apparatus 10 with one article 2 remaining in the most downstream magazine 50 c. If a user inserts the correct coinage and tries to purchase an article 2 from the apparatus 10 after the last article 2 has been dispensed, as the user rotates the coin mechanism 15 to the point where the dispensing recess 32 comes into communication with the delivery end of the magazine 50 c, the weight 60 falls into the dispensing recess 32. The magnet 62 comes into close proximity with and repels the magnet 78 in the locking dog 70, causing the arm 74 of the locking dog 70 to pivot away from the weight 60. This in turn causes the arm 80 of the locking dog 70 to pivot toward the hub 35 of the dispensing drum 30, as shown in FIG. 8. In this position the projection 82 extends through the aperture 37 in the hub 35 of the dispensing drum 30, locking the dispensing drum 30 from rotating further. Since the coin mechanism 15 is keyed to the shaft 34 of the dispensing drum 30, this in turn locks the coin mechanism 15 and prevents further rotation when the apparatus is empty.

The projection 82 may be hook-shaped as shown to provide a more secure locking engagement to the aperture 37. Furthermore, the aperture 37 is disposed at a point before the coin mechanism 15 has passed its “free play” zone at the start of the rotational cycle, and is preferably long enough to allow the so the coin mechanism 15 to revert to the rest position so that the user can retrieve their coin(s) once it they realize that the apparatus 10 is not vending merchandise.

In the embodiment illustrated the magazines 50 a, 50 b, 50 c are disposed above the dispensing drum 30. This provides the advantage that the proximate article 2′ will be delivered by a magazine 50 into the empty recess 32 under the influence of gravity. However, it is alternatively possible to orient the magazines 50 in some other orientation and using mechanical means, for example a spring, forcing articles 2 toward the proximate end of each magazine 50 and thereby achieving the same effect. Also, although it is advantageous to have the dispensing ends of the magazines 50 immediately adjacent to one another because it maximizes the number of magazines that can be in dispensing communication with the dispensing drum 30, the magazines 50 do not need to abut one another and could be arranged in a ‘fan’ or other configuration as desired.

In the preferred embodiment the recess 32 is configured with a rounded leading edge that forms a gentler slope into the recess 32. This allows a product more time to drop into the recess 32 if the user turns the coin mechanism 15 quickly, and reduces the possibility of the recess 32 ‘skipping past’ a proximate article 2′.

In the preferred embodiment a single article 2 is delivered into the recess 32 as the recess 32 passes a magazine 50. However, it is also possible to size the recess 32 so that it can contain a plurality of articles 2, without affecting the operation of the invention.

Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. 

1. A vending machine for vending articles, comprising a rotatable dispensing drum comprising a wall comprising at least one recess sized to receive a single article, a mechanism for rotating the dispensing drum about a rotational cycle, a plurality of magazines, each magazine for containing articles in a stack, each magazine being in communication with the dispensing drum and disposed such that a proximate article in the magazine contacts the dispensing drum, the wall of the dispensing drum blocking the delivery of the proximate article from the magazine until an empty recess comes into alignment with the proximate article during rotation of the dispensing drum and the proximate article is forced into the recess, the proximate article in the recess blocking the delivery of any other proximate article into the recess, and a dispensing portion into which the proximate article in the recess is dispensed from the recess as the dispensing drum is rotated further along its rotational cycle.
 2. The vending machine of claim 1 wherein the proximate article is forced into the recess under the influence of gravity.
 3. The vending machine of claim 1 for vending tubular articles, wherein each magazine is configured to contain the articles in the stack in a predetermined orientation.
 4. The vending machine of claim 1 wherein the mechanism for rotating the dispensing drum comprises a coin mechanism.
 5. The vending machine of claim 1 wherein the recess is configured with a rounded leading edge.
 6. The vending machine of claim 1 wherein the magazines are oriented in side-by-side relation.
 7. A vending machine for vending articles, comprising a rotatable dispensing drum comprising a wall comprising at least one recess sized to receive at least one article, a mechanism for rotating the dispensing drum about a rotational cycle, a plurality of magazines, each magazine for containing articles in a stack, each magazine being in communication with the dispensing drum and disposed such that at least one proximate article in the magazine contacts the dispensing drum, the wall of the dispensing drum blocking the delivery of the at least one proximate article from the magazine until an empty recess comes into alignment with the at least one proximate article during rotation of the dispensing drum and the at least one proximate article is forced into the recess, the at least one proximate article in the recess blocking the delivery of any other proximate article into the recess, and a dispensing portion into which the at least one proximate article in the recess is dispensed from the recess as the dispensing drum is rotated further along its rotational cycle.
 8. The vending machine of claim 7 wherein the at least one proximate article is forced into the recess under the influence of gravity.
 9. The vending machine of claim 7 for vending tubular articles, wherein each magazine is configured to contain the articles in the stack in a predetermined orientation.
 10. The vending machine of claim 7 wherein the mechanism for rotating the dispensing drum comprises a coin mechanism.
 11. The vending machine of claim 7 wherein the recess is configured with a rounded leading edge.
 12. The vending machine of claim 11 wherein the magazines are oriented in side-by-side relation. 